Singapore's Unvoted President

The Singaporean presidential election of 2017 was the fifth Singaporean presidential election. It was held to elect the successor of the previous President of Singapore, Tony Tan, whose term expired on 31 August 2017. Following amendments to the Constitution of Singapore, the election was the first to be reserved for a particular racial group under a hiatus-triggered model. The 2017 election was reserved for candidates from the minority Malay community, who had not held the presidential office since 1970.

The close of nominations was on 13 September, and polling would have been held on 23 September if two or more candidates were eligible to stand. In accordance with the strict criteria laid out in the national constitution, the Elections Department declared Halimah Yacob to be the only eligible presidential candidate on 11 September. Halimah was consequently declared president-elect on 13 September, and was inaugurated as the eighth President of Singapore the following day.

Background of Singapore Presidency

The President is the head of state of Singapore. Following the Westminster system, the position is largely ceremonial, but enjoys several reserve powers including withholding presidential assent on supply bills and changing or revoking civil service appointments. The current system of holding elections for the Presidency began with the 1993 election, with the election of Ong Teng Cheong. Before then, the President was selected by Parliament.

There are strict requirements for prospective presidential election candidates, and whether a candidate meets the qualifications or not is decided by the Presidential Elections Committee (PEC), who are given the task of issuing a certificate of eligibility (COE) to prospective candidates.

The Presidency is, by the rules of the Constitution, required to be nonpartisan.

Parliamentary Reforms

In his speech to Parliament on 27 January 2016, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that it was timely to review the eligibility criteria of the Elected Presidency. On 10 February 2016, a Constitutional Commission consisting of nine individuals and chaired by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon was formed. In its report released on 7 September 2016, the Commission recommended the following key changes:

1. The election should be reserved for a racial group if it is not represented for five terms, or 30 years. If there are no eligible candidates from that group, the election would be opened to candidates of all races, and the "reserved election" would be deferred to the next Presidential election.
2. The Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) should be increased from six to eight members, with two alternate members. The President would have to consult the CPA on all monetary issues related to the financial reserves and all key public service appointments.
3. A qualifying candidate from the private sector should be a senior executive managing a company with at least S$500 million in shareholders' equity. Previously, such a candidate had to be a chairman or CEO of a company with at least S$100 million in paid-up capital.
4. For qualifying candidates from both the public and private sectors, the length of time that the candidate has held office should be doubled to six years.
5. The public sector offices of Accountant-General and Auditor-General should be removed from automatic qualification.
6. An applicant's entire qualifying tenure should fall within a 15-year period preceding Nomination Day.

The government announced in a White Paper published on 15 September 2016 that it has broadly accepted the recommendations, including the first three changes above. The government did not accept the three other proposed changes, preferring to adopt a "cautious" approach given the other concurrent changes to other aspects of eligibility criteria. On 8 November 2016, PM Lee, under the advice from Attorney-General, announced that the 2017 Presidential Election will be reserved for candidates from the Malay community.

The rules for campaigning have also been modified. Rally sites will no longer be designated for the candidates. All candidates are required to apply for police permit on their own to hold a rally. Also, candidates are required to sign a statutory declaration to affirm that they understand the roles of a President. These rules are purportedly made to ensure that the candidates campaign in a "dignified" manner.

                https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singaporean_presidential_election,_2017